Weird experience with local B&M stores

[SteakAndEggs]

Today a friend & I went to a few vape shops around town. Seeing as how I buy most of my equipment & juice online I kinda just wanted to look around & mingle. You know, get my daily fill of vape obsession lol. Anyway, my friend and I went to one shop that was pretty small & didn't really have what I was looking for, but the guy there was really friendly and directed me to another shop where he said cloned mechs would be 40% off today so I got rather excited to check it out. I got there and they had maybe 5 different mechs & even with the 40% off the mod i wanted (an infinite viggo) was still $60. I knew that was way too much. So i told the guy that was too steep for me & he just began ignoring me & gave me this face like I'm some sort of cheapskate. Do y'all notice pretty ridiculous markups like this at your local b&m? Why do they tend to sell everything like 25-40% more than what it is online? I like going to shops to talk to fellow vapers but I just don't see why you would drop that kind of money when you know you could save significantly.
Sorry for the long post lol.

 

[sub4me]

That's common pricing they bank on the want it now or uninformed customer.

I've got a guy near me that sells single coils for over five bucks each.

 

[CloudChasing]

I know exactly what your saying!!! Its because they use those online sites as thier suppliers, instead of the actual source itself. They probly only buy maybe 20clones at the most im a single order. Its more cost effective for them to just get it from the main stream websites and "flip" them for about 20-30% more then they bought it. Then they can "mark it down" because the actual mods do cost $100 and upwards

Mana gotta make buissness but fortunetaly we as vapers do have access to the internet

doing it right since 97'

 

[RipTodd]

Here's the line I use with these guys: I know you need to make money, but I can buy this online for $x. How close can you get to that?

 

[dhood]

It's a topic that comes up frequently. B&M stores have overhead - rent, utilities, salaries. A lot of the online shops operate out of much cheaper locations with lower overhead. You're paying for the convenience of the location and the ability to walk in and try something out before the purchase. I can get an Infinite clone of the Kayfun Lite+ v2 for around $25 online. My local shop sells it for $60. I've bought two of them from that shop when they have had big discounts. They will also coil or re-coil your builds for you and even teach you how. Nice personal touch.

On the other hand, they got their shipment of iStick 50s in yesterday. They're selling them for $55. That's only about $6 more than the cheapest I've seen online for that. Had to have one to celebrate my 6 months vaping.

 

[sgilners]

They have to in order to stay in business. Online is definitely cheaper, but I can't buy juice online personally. I've had so many juices that I don't like and won't vape, so the money I thought I was saving is actually just a waste. b&m all the way for me for almost everything, not just vape related. I just kind of like the face to face.

 

[Papa_Lazarou]

B&M overhead includes rent, utilities, and staffing costs, so yeah, there'll be a markup. That's before adding a profit margin.

My local B&M's actually don't gouge that much - about $10 more for, say, an IPV3 than online. That said, I have seen some pricing abuse, mostly with mass consumer commodities like premade coil packs (and don't get me started on the juice racket).

 

[Wissel Joe]

My shops here just seem to double the price on everything they have.

 

[issy]

Here's the line I use with these guys: I know you need to make money, but I can buy this online for $x. How close can you get to that?

That's exactly what I do, except I always make sure that I tell them that I support local and appreciate having them in my neighborhood, and I pay whatever price they name. I don't push it, and I never BS them. We're all adults here. Oh, and if I'm really fine with the price, I don't say anything at all and happily pay up. If I think it's way, way too much, I won't even try.

 

[Train2]

I'm surprised that you were surprised. LOL

How is a vape shop supposed to survive?
Most of them WON'T because they don't understand their own business model, but think about the likelihood that they have to come up with a few thousand bucks a month ABOVE cost on crap, just to break even on labor, rent, and utilities. When they get hit with business taxes and insurance, they'll probably go under.

The only real way for a vape shop to be profitable is to mark up SIGNIFICANTLY and in some volume. The obvious place to do this is on liquid, where the materials cost for 30 mls is something like $1.50...plus a bottle and label.

I wouldn't be surprised by a shop basically doubling their cost for a price on hardware - that's actually not unusual in small retail. And their cost is gonna pretty much be the same as your cost for a clone from China...

Today a friend & I went to a few vape shops around town. Seeing as how I buy most of my equipment & juice online I kinda just wanted to look around & mingle. You know, get my daily fill of vape obsession lol. Anyway, my friend and I went to one shop that was pretty small & didn't really have what I was looking for, but the guy there was really friendly and directed me to another shop where he said cloned mechs would be 40% off today so I got rather excited to check it out. I got there and they had maybe 5 different mechs & even with the 40% off the mod i wanted (an infinite viggo) was still $60. I knew that was way too much. So i told the guy that was too steep for me & he just began ignoring me & gave me this face like I'm some sort of cheapskate. Do y'all notice pretty ridiculous markups like this at your local b&m? Why do they tend to sell everything like 25-40% more than what it is online? I like going to shops to talk to fellow vapers but I just don't see why you would drop that kind of money when you know you could save significantly.
Sorry for the long post lol.

 

[v1k1ng1001]

When you really think about it, how many of these places are going to be open in a year or so?

A year and a half ago, there were no vape shops where I live. Now there are at least 10 or 12. It's insane.

 

[gelgoog]

the only overhead lower for a online is maybe rent. saleries should be about the same. employees dont cost you less. a business is a business. rent for an office warehouse is cheaper then a retail shopping center. that also depends on location. i am sure that online stores have more square footage. white means more rent and utilities. i havent seen any 10000 sf b&m vape shops with alot high paid employees. i have been to many 2000 sf b&m with maybe 2 employees and 10 of there friends hanging out.

 

[LMS62]

The other reason for a smaller B&M to have such higher prices is that they simply don't have the volume of sales many websites do. If a website only marks up a mod by $10.00, and they sell a hundred of them....that's $1000.00 profit from 1 item. If a B&M marks up the same mod by only $10.00, and only sells twenty of them....they're looking at only a $200.00 profit from that 1 item.

The other consideration is that in most cases, the higher the volume of business you do, the better deal you can get on your merchandise from the distributor/wholesaler.

 

[EvlSmrk]

For me, I just expect it. It's been stated before that they have to make their money some how. I'll sometimes bite the bullet and support local, unless it's a ridiculous difference. If they're in the general area, then I'm all for buying local. Plus, it's a cool place to get stuff I forgot to order, see what's new, and hang out if able.

 

[edyle]

Today a friend & I went to a few vape shops around town. Seeing as how I buy most of my equipment & juice online I kinda just wanted to look around & mingle. You know, get my daily fill of vape obsession lol. Anyway, my friend and I went to one shop that was pretty small & didn't really have what I was looking for, but the guy there was really friendly and directed me to another shop where he said cloned mechs would be 40% off today so I got rather excited to check it out. I got there and they had maybe 5 different mechs & even with the 40% off the mod i wanted (an infinite viggo) was still $60. I knew that was way too much. So i told the guy that was too steep for me & he just began ignoring me & gave me this face like I'm some sort of cheapskate. Do y'all notice pretty ridiculous markups like this at your local b&m? Why do they tend to sell everything like 25-40% more than what it is online? I like going to shops to talk to fellow vapers but I just don't see why you would drop that kind of money when you know you could save significantly.
Sorry for the long post lol.

It's all about supply and demand.

Smokers spend a lot: that is the $demand$

Vape shops are basically a temporary business because the technology is new.
Eventually, once most smokers get past the initial hump and get settled it, that market will dry up and most of those vape shops will close down.

 

[Light Seeker]

Local shop has most mods almost double the going pricei compared to the net..... But I noted their higher priced mods, like a vaporshark rdna or provaris, was same price as ecom sites! They don't move many, so have cut profit margins apparently. As with every purchase, being an educated buyer is prime importance.

 

[Strings]

It's a topic that comes up frequently. B&M stores have overhead - rent, utilities, salaries

Sweet Vapes seems to be the exception. They have some of the best prices on gear I've seen (granted, they also do online). In fact, their prices are better than some of the chain vape shops

 

[Jonner]

I buy some of my juice at a B&M, so while there last week, out of curiosity, I asked about the Cloupor Mini they had in the case (I already have mine-bought for $38 online), $135.00. Wow, you have got to be kidding me. I know they need to cover overhead, employees, etc..., but talk about gouging.

 

[RandyF]

The other reason for a smaller B&M to have such higher prices is that they simply don't have the volume of sales many websites do. If a website only marks up a mod by $10.00, and they sell a hundred of them....that's $1000.00 profit from 1 item. If a B&M marks up the same mod by only $10.00, and only sells twenty of them....they're looking at only a $200.00 profit from that 1 item.

The other consideration is that in most cases, the higher the volume of business you do, the better deal you can get on your merchandise from the distributor/wholesaler.

If you ever get a chance (if you haven't already) stop by Offbeat and Unique in Gilbert. The only sell authentics and the ones I know about (VS DNA40 and Provari's) are the same price you would pay if you ordered from VS or ProVape. I buy a juice there made by Villain Vapors, and they also sell that for the same $12/15ml as VV sells it for themselves.

This shop is a far cry from any other I have been to, in every way. All the others fall pretty much in line with what everyone else has experienced.

 

[sub4me]

I buy some of my juice at a B&M, so while there last week, out of curiosity, I asked about the Cloupor Mini they had in the case (I already have mine-bought for $38 online), $135.00. Wow, you have got to be kidding me. I know they need to cover overhead, employees, etc..., but talk about gouging.

I agree, most of not all the stores near me are price crazy which is a shame because nothing makes me happier then supporting local business. The vapor stores here are in fierce competition for customers and dying fast due to loss of foot traffic. They just cant sustain against web prices. Most carry horrible store made liquid (their biggest profit maker) but none of the known brands of liquid (big down fall) and almost every piece of hardware is at least doubled or tripled or more in price. It doesn't take long for customers to catch on that they are being had. Last place I was in was asking five bucks for no name single coil.